


By a Thread

by ravenadottir



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenadottir/pseuds/ravenadottir
Summary: After being stolen from the only boy you're interested in, and cheated on, on the same night, you decide to take control of the situation, and go through with your romance, behind the curtains.If they're not gonna give you what you want, you'll take it, no matter what the consequences are.***on hiatus***
Relationships: Levi/Main Character (Love Island), Rohan/Jake Wilson (Love Island), Rohan/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. Cherrygate

The night drift takes strands of your hair from their place. You tuck a couple of locks as you step in, closing the roof terrace door behind you. There was a chilling sensation on the lower of your back, roaming all the way to your stomach.

Anxiety.

You could feel a misplacement when you heard voices coming from outside of the bedroom, but the murmurs were quite unintelligible. Determined to find the source, and shut the voices up, you rolled out of bed, only to be taken by the bitter image of your partner and a girl you considered a possible friend.

If you were honest with yourself, you knew, deep down, there was a slight to none chance you and Cherry could develop a friendship, but still, your heart was kind and you endured her dramatic out of the blue crying and gave her a chance.

“More than what she deserved.” You think to yourself as you see the kiss they’re sharing, while everyone else is tucked in bed, in deep slumbers.

“Oi?!”

Cherry’s eyes open to see the state of shock all over your face. The thought of being stolen, just to be cheated on, by the same person that swore about his feelings, and now kisses a person that isn’t you, is taking a toll on you, to say the least.

It’s impossible to keep track of your thoughts at this moment. there’s no possible explanation to go through it, especially given you weren’t even into the idea of being with him, in the first place.

Your loyalty lies with someone else, and you made it quite clear. Apparently there’s a sound barrier that doesn’t let your words penetrate it, so the boys will understand.

Enraged, and mostly staring in disbelief, you clear your throat, just to see Cherry stare back, with wide eyes as she jumps from Levi’s arms.

“What the fuck is going in here?”

That is the question that begs an urgent explanation, but you won’t find the response you deserve.

Not now, not later.

Amid anger and confusion, you feel Jake’s fingertips on your arm, slowly conducting you back to the communal bedroom, to try and get some rest. Even if he delivers solidary and sweet words towards you, it doesn’t work when trying to calm your heart.

“It’s useless!” you say, on the way to the hallway. “It’s bullshit!” your voice echoes around the main house as you’re pulled from the outside, to follow the boys and take a seat. Tim accompanies you both, leading the way to the door, gritting his teeth with as much anger as you.

“I know, darlin’. I’m so sorry for this. But you should get some sleep. Any sleep.” The chef holds your cold hands in his, grazing his thumb on your knuckles, in an attempt of giving some reassurance.

“Jake. You know I won’t be able to nail my eyes shut. Go on…” you let go of him, nodding at the corridor. “I need some water. Maybe something stiff…”

Tim opens his mouth, but Jake places a hand on his chest, shaking his head. “Save it for tomorrow, Smalls…”

The two of them turn on their heels, after shooting you a wink, but immediately having their faces falling as you sniff, covering your mouth, heading to the kitchen, downstairs.

From the upper floor, there’s a deafening silence that seems to buzz in your ears. You can’t hear anyone else’s voices, despite what just happened. Your hand reaches for the fridge door and you cock your head, to investigate its content.

“Nothing… why am I not surprised?”

The rush of thoughts and feelings it’s faster than you can assimilate. In your heart, you couldn’t care less about Levi’s betrayal as a partner, but as a mate, he surely had noticed your googly eyes are not directed to him, or any other person that doesn’t walk on their hands.

Your first impressions from Rohan remain to this day.

“You’re a lovely lad, aren’t you, Rohan?”

He took a couple of steps towards you, a killer smile on his full lips. “I can be. But I can be bad if you want me to.”

“Bad? I’m not looking for a heartbreak in case you didn’t notice...”

“Let me rephrase that.” He licked his lips, his eyes flickering to your mouth as he continued. “I can be bad. Very, very bad… if this is what you need.”

You couldn’t discern if what you felt was purely physical, or just the start of something permanent. But one thing was certain, you wanted to find out. And the first step to that was choosing him at the following recoupling.

It pained you to make this decision, given a close mate had feelings towards the same person, but to you, standing in front of the line of boys, it felt right. Your heart was letting you know, and your instinct told you what to do.

“I’m happy to be the guy you’re trying out.” His grin went for miles as you talked about your decision, by the pool. The clear night only made everything extra romantic, and after a second kiss, your heart was filled.

There was nothing in the way between you and Rohan.

Until last night.

Lost in thought, you catch yourself talking out loudly, repeating nonsense dialogues that you could remember, while pouring yourself a shot of tequila, from a bottle you didn’t even notice you grabbed at some point. Your journey didn’t start on the right foot, and now, you were thrown back at square one.

“Hey…”

Jumping from the scare, and almost dropping the clear glass, you place a hand on your heart. “Fuck, Rohan! You scared me!” you laugh nervously, your hand trembling slightly as he approaches.

“I’m sorry.” He raises his arms in redemption, frowning a bit. “I meant to come here and make you feel better, not… well… this.”

“It’s alright. Not like my night can be any worse.”

“Smalls was telling me all about it.” he grits his teeth but manages to control it, before the screeching noise becomes more noticeable. “How are you feeling? About Levi?”

“Who?” you take a sip from the bottle, shaking your head with a frown, forgetting you just poured a shot. “Levi?”

“Yes…” he laughs. “Isn’t this the reasoning of your two am drink?”

Your eyes fall on the label of the booze, and your lips perch while you calculate how many shots it’s gonna take. “I suppose it should be…”

“It isn’t?” Rohan stands next to you, folding his arms over his striped shirt. “I assumed you would be raging over it.” he chuckles, awkwardly, but still, he holds your gaze, a glint of hope in his eyes.

“Right. The cheating. Yeah. I’m raging.”

His lips curl into a smile, and before he can stop himself, Rohan snorts. “It shows! Really.” He bends his fingers into a claw. “Grrr!” You share a laugh and your shoulders heave with high energy as he keeps shaking his head. “You’re… not upset? About Levi?”

“I didn’t say that.” You raise the bottle, offering him a drink.

“I’m good.”

“So… I am upset, Rohan. I can’t lie. But I don’t think you know the real reason.”

“I reckon being cheated on, after only a few hours, is reason enough.” He licks his lips. “Right?”

“Sure… if I cared a bit. But I don’t.”

He perks up, in place, uncrossing his arms and now, leaning over the counter in front of you. “So, why are you having tequila in this, not so fine, night?”

“Come on… you know why.” You conceal a smile, before taking another shot, bluntly biting your lip as you steal a glance.

“I made mistakes before and I don’t wanna make them again. If this…” he points to the space between you and him. “… has anything to do with…”

“I’ll put you out of your misery, boy.”

He smiles, genuinely. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“I wanted you to be in my bed, tonight. I didn’t appreciate Levi choosing me, without talking, or consulting about how I felt on the matter.” The bottle hits the counter with a thud, and you gesture, wildly, not holding back your grunts. “He stood up, said a couple of cute words, so hours later, he would betray me, not only as his partner, but also, as a mate!” you exhale sharply. “I wanted you to choose me. That’s all I expected from the night. To continue coupled up with you… and get to know each other better.”

A crease grows between his brows while his kind eyes stare back, sparkling with what he just learned. “Are you serious? Do you mean that?”

“That I wanted you and not him?”

He blinks slowly while trying his best to not smile, openly. “Yeah… is it true?”

You nod with a sad smile, tipping your head back to rub your forehead. “I hate this. I hate all of this!”

“But…” his gaze roams on the floor, in confusion. “I really thought you had a thing going on with him, or Mason...”

“They have a thing going on with me.” You pinch your fingers together with slightly more anger. “It’s – not – mutual.”

“Oh…” Rohan lets out a relieved sigh. “I’m… wow…”

“What? I mean… I know we didn’t talk much about us, as an item, but I figured you knew.”

He runs a hand on his hair, before responding with a kind, joyful voice. “I had my suspicions, but that’s not what was going around in the boy’s locker room, if you catch my drift. Plus… you did invite Levi for that date, the other night.”

“Wait. About me taking Levi… I had to make sure how I felt when I'm alone with him…” you trail off, now folding your arms. “And what was going around? In the boys’ dressing room?”

He shrugs with a low voice. “Just that… Mason and Levi were the only ones who had a chance with you. Not much about it, and since Allegra and Mason broke up, he figured you were gonna be his next girl. But then…”

“Cherry happened?”

“Yep. He wasn’t happy about it. As far as every boy knows, Mason wanted to pick you since day one…” he shrugs. “Of course, with everything that happened, he was probably gonna choose you, but…”

After taking a deep breath, and a third shot of tequila, you roll your eyes. “I don’t know when they thought I was giving them some hope, but I’m getting sick and tired of this whole bullshit.”

“What do you mean?” he tilts his head to the side, a confused look as he takes a seat by your side, on one of the stools.

“They act like they’re the only boys in this Villa! It’s like Tim, Jake… you… don’t exist. I’m not interested in any of them, and it’s about goddamn time I get my wishes respected!”

“I feel you.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah!” he furrows his brows, searching for your eyes. “I’ll be honest. The way I have to hear them raving about your connection is annoying.”

You scoff. “Connection?! Where?”

He laughs with a pained expression. “I don’t know…”

As you occupy the seat next to him, you raise your foot to rest on the side of the stool’s leg. Rohan’s eyes keep wandering to the night as he sighs, from time to time, unable to find a new topic to cheer you up.

You break the silence with a softer voice. “I need to ask you something, Rohan.”

“Anything.” He hugs himself, propping his elbows on the kitchen island.

“Do you fancy me?”

“Pff! What kind of question is that?!” he stares at you, chuckling with despair. “Of course, I do! It’s pretty obvious you’re the only girl I fancy here.”

You try to hide a smirk, but it creeps on the corner of your lips. “Ok… I was just making sure.”

He lies his head on the counter, his cheek touching the surface. You mirror his motions, your eyes meeting his as you talk through mumbles. As he speaks again, a small puddle of fog forms beneath his mouth. “It’s not only “fancying you” anymore, I reckon.”

“It isn’t?”

He tries to shake his head, negatively, luring a light laugh from you. “No…” his head rises from the counter, his voice much more serious. “I think we’re past that. It’s not just physical attraction anymore. Like… If I don’t tell you a joke in the morning, so you roll your eyes at how dumb it is, the day feels odd to me.”

“You do tell some terrible jokes, mate.”

“That’s because you’re…” he stops himself narrowing his eyes. “Never mind.”

“No, you’re not gonna leave me hanging.” You straighten your back up, feathering your fingertips on the back of his hand. “Tell me. What were you gonna say?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“Go on, boy. Say it!” you nod at him with defiance.

“Nope.” His smirk reaches his eyes.

“Rohan…”

“What?” he leans over, his warm, minty breath tickling your chin. “You can’t make me.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah…”

A sudden silence falls in the room as both of your gazes flicker to each other’s lips, darkening for a moment. Your voice, and his, drop to loud whispers.

“I bet I can force you to talk.”

“I would love to see you try.”

“I can force you to make a lot of noises, Rohan…”

“Then make me.” His chest rises and falls with anticipation while his eyes dart to your chin. “Please… just… make me...”

You pull him closer before another word comes out of his mouth, brushing your lips on his, your hands not obeying your best judgement and running on his hair. Rohan cups your jaw, deepening the kiss with urgency.

It hasn’t been many hours you were separated, but the earnestness of his kiss brings a warm feeling to your heart, causing a smile to come through the gesture. He pulls away, lingeringly, resting his forehead on yours. His breath catches with a chuckle and he grazes his knuckles on your jawline.

“Why do you have to do this to me?”

“I don’t have a choice here. I can’t resist.”

“So…” he pulls away, slowly. “What should we do? I mean, I know you must be angry and looking for answers, regarding what happened with Levi, but…” he hesitates, grazing a thumb on your cheek. “I really, really want us to figure this out.”

“We will. It’s not gonna take too long. Trust me. We can pick each other on the next recoupling, and…” you let out a long, deep sigh. “As for Levi, I’ll talk to him.”

He nods along with you and as your eyes meet, he chuckles, still grazing his finger on the side of your face. “So… I should go to bed.”

“You should. I should too.”

“Yeah…”

A smile is shared before he leans over, this time, brushing your nose with his. “I wish I knew how to move right now.”

“Right…” You grab both sides of his jaw, finding his lips with yours in a last, soft kiss. “Go on. I’ll go in a few minutes.”

Before getting up, Rohan holds your wrists, caressing the inner portion as he holds your palms on his face. “Alright… we’ll talk later, then.”

“Good night.”

With a smile on the corner of his mouth, he gets up, faking a dizziness and reaching for the entrance.

“Good night, gorgeous.”


	2. Tension

The Spanish sun is as punishing as the silence hovering the villa. Not a single day, before this one, has been as tense or uncomfortable. That’s saying much, given Allegra has been there since day 1. Between averting gazes and strong words, being exchanged between immature boys, so far, no apology worthy of your time has been spoken.

Not that you expect one. You know better than waiting around for a mistake to be corrected, the right way. Even if the excuses sufficed, you decided to take control over your route, from now on.

Levi sits on the firepit bench, alone, after coming back from the grocery store, with Cherry.

“Ah! The audacity!” says Talia, while sorting her curls, glancing at you from the corner of her eye. “What a bitch move! First, he steals you, then he kisses someone else, and now he’s playing a couple with this bird? Going shopping?” she grits her teeth while picking up a product from her makeup bag.

You shrug, not being able to pronounce a single word on the matter. It’s too tiring and definitely not worth it.

“If you ask me…” Tim stays sitting on one of the stools, dangling his feet while playing with a tube of liquid lipstick. “You should freeze them out.” He opens the lid, curiously smelling its content with an impressed twist of lips.

“Like… literally?” you shoot him a smirk, before changing into a new cape.

“Sure.” He shrugs, shooting Talia a grin, who grunts, after applying lip balm and tossing the tube in a small basket.

“Look. If I were you, I would be raging! But mostly, I would have a conversation with Cherry, woman to woman” She tosses her hair back, applying a spray. “And one with Levi”

“In this case, woman to bitch?”

“Yes!! That’s right! He shouldn’t get away with it, especially after…” she nods at the window, and through it, the three of you can see the top of a head of slick hair, bouncing back the sunlight, by the pool. “He’s pissed. As he should be.”

“No.” Tim gets up, dusting his palms and adjusting his pink shorts. “The lad is hurt... it’s even worse.”

A groan escapes your lips, before you reach for the knob, to open the door. “I’m gonna talk to him. Can you guys make sure the children don’t get into it, while I do that?” you indicate the direction of the gym and the firepit. “They might be up for a physical match. And it’s unfair, since it seems Mason forgot Cherry was there too…”

“True… I haven’t seen him talking to Cherry.” The DJ peeks outside, holding the rim of the curtain before directing his speech at you. “But Cherry is avoiding him, I reckon.”

You throw a dismissive hand, before following the stone path to the pool. From a distance, you can hear Rohan’s mumbling as his feet dangle in the water, producing ripples around his legs. He kicks a few waves, splashing closely on the coping.

“What did the water do to you?”

He jumps a bit, from the scare, but shielding his eyes, a smile reaches them, along with a motion of patting his side, for you to take the spot. You take a seat, letting your shoulders brush against his with a slight nudge. He snaps his tongue before responding, his chin touching his chest. “Well… the water didn’t do anything… but I can’t exactly kick the thing I want the most.” He raises his brows, quickly nodding at the firepit, luring a chuckle from you.

“Don’t worry… I’ll get things done.”

Rohan eyes you suspiciously, before shrugging with a pained expression. “I hate that Mason is meddling like this…”

“Why?”

“Because… it doesn’t seem like he’s doing it for Cherry…” he trails off, slowly letting his fingers brush the back of your hand, on the tile.

“I’ll say this. They’re not getting away with it.” you squint, looking directly into his eyes. “And I honestly don’t care if they get into a fight.”

“It seems like it won’t take long until that happens. They’re looking for a reason to punch each other and I reckon it’s because of you.” He sees your lips twisting as you shake your head, now letting a carefree smile grow on his own. “Can’t blame them.”

“Oh… see. That’s what I’m interested in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well. I don’t care much about whatever is going on in there. I care about how you feel regarding this. And by “this” I mean us. Are you…?”

“If you’re gonna ask me where my head is at, I can assure you, it’s still very much pointed at your direction. There’s nothing that can change that." he grazes his thumb on your knuckles with a feathering touch. "I promise.”

You bite away a grin. “Ooh… you promise? Bold statement.”

Rohan shoots you a wink before his shoulders heave with laughter. “Bold guy, you know that.” His eyes wander to your side of the pool, focusing on the tiny waves coming from the wind. “How do you think it’s gonna be today?”

“When?” you toss your hair, adjusting it on your shoulders, now noticing Mason beckoning you to the gym.

“That dinner is gonna be the most awkward thing since Allegra and Miles started getting on in the communal bedroom.”

“Ew. Don’t remind me, please…” you laugh at ease, and Rohan notices Mason’s gestures towards you.

“Can’t he see we’re talking?”

“It’s fine. Maybe he wants to discuss Cherry. I’ll be right back.”

He holds your hand before you can hoist yourself up. “Hey… do you want me to go with you?”

It pains you to see how preoccupied he looks while asking. Your lips curl into a sincere smile as you shake your head, lightly. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

The gym seems the farthest you’ve ever walked, especially with Levi’s eyes burning the back of your head, as you walk by, ignoring his attempts to catch your eye. Mason waits for you, holding the dumbbells, as he lifts what can only be described as “Tim in weight form”.

after a few minutes of serious grafting, and even more serious dismissing from your end, Levi walks in your conversation. You can see his chest gaining a flush tone of red, while he advances, no signs of stopping. Jake and Talia intervene, just in time for you to see Rohan’s annoyed face, as he sits on the daybeds. He leans forward to hear the confusion, lacing his fingers on top of his thighs. Both boys take separate paths, guided by each islander, either inside of the main house or the roof terrace, to take a much needed break.

Jake’s cussing echoes as he conducts Levi, then takes a turn to step in the kitchen. Your footsteps can be heard as you cross the lawn to sit by the daybeds, joining Rohan, on the other side of the dry deck.

“Hey…” You nudge him with a weak smile, but it seems to not have immediate effect. His gaze is directed to the water polo player, who leans over the railing of the roof terrace, on the upper floor.

“Man…” his skin radiates heat and he sighs, letting a visible vein pop on his neck, under his tanned skin. His eyes wander from the front door, almost as if waiting for someone to walk out. “You have no idea how much I wanna have a little talk with Levi right now.”

“Whoa… you’re not going to, right?”

Rohan perches his lips and for a moment, the image of him, getting up, in order to run upstairs, just to give the cheater a piece of his mind, is eminent. More than that, you can see disaster striking right after, and your heart races with the look of resolve on his face. He fiddles with his bracelet, impatiently, tapping his foot with nervous energy. You’ve never seen him as agitated as he is.

Somehow, the tranquil energy from the pool, or the sun, doesn’t seem to have a positive effect on any of them. “Rohan…”

He mentions to get up, but you brush your fingers on his back, his taut muscles twitch with exasperation. “I just have to say a couple of things…”

You get up before he does, grabbing both of his shoulders, putting him back, gently, on his seat. Crouching in front of him, and running a hand on his forearm, your voice drops its volume, to speak in a much calmer tone. “Rohan… if you go there… I know things will escalate.”

“B-but…” he gestures, angrily, a wrinkle forming on the bridge of his nose. “He… he deserves it!”

“I know… I know.” Your head turns to see who could be watching and given everyone’s attention is focused either on their tan, hair, or both, you run your knuckles on his temple, in a soothing manner. “If you get into it, you might be banished…” you lick your bottom lip, biting it with apprehension. “I don’t mind if either of them goes, but you…?”

His eyes raise from his fingers, staring into yours, sincerely. They glisten, marinating with resentment, but he sniffs violently, wiping them with his forearm. “So… you think I should…”

“Just stay away…” you trail off, sighing deeply. “Don’t do anything that can jeopardize your place here. It’s not worth it.”

“Right. I should be quiet.”

“No.” you lean in, to talk closer to his lips. “You should be smart. This isn’t just about finding love and friends enjoying the sunshine, or whatever the fuck Tim talks about.” His focus stays on your face, his eyes flickering to your mouth as you continue. “This is a game. We have to play with the cards we’ve been dealt. And we will.”

A slight confusion takes his gaze as he holds yours, searching for the answer of your enigmatic speech. “So… what are we gonna do?”

You cup his chin and with a reassuring smile, shooting him a wink, before getting up, strutting towards the front door. Before you step in the living room, you glance at Levi, who pushes off the railings, taking the stairs to catch up with you.

You don’t wait for him, and as he heads to the main entrance, you slam the door behind you. Before you can even think where to go, Tim drags you to the dressing room, with a mischievous glint on his eye. "I've got a clue on Cherrygate! "

"Oh, god... is that how they're calling?" he nods, giving you a reason to scoff. "Creative... go on then. What is it?"

Before he can open his mouth, his phone's ding is loud enough to make you stop your conversation. He whips his phone out of his pocket, and you hear Rohan hurrying to join you, in the room. The tender looks between you two makes the DJ clearly uncomfortable.

"Guys! Get a load of this!" Tim, excitedly, stares at his screen. "Islanders, it's time to find out how much you trust each other." he shoots you a knowing look, before continuing. "Get ready to get wet in a game of Sink or Swim. Hashtag trust issues, hashtag drop it like it's hot."

The three of you exchange looks, then Rohan nods, reaching for the door. "I'll tell the others." he purses his lips with a sad smile, before heading outside.

"So... Tim!" you snap your fingers in front of his face, to break his trance while he stares at the text. "Come on, what is it that you found out?"

"Found out what?" hiss brows cock, then he laughs, slapping his own forehead. "Oh, the clue! Don't worry. I'll tell you after." he runs towards the hallway, almost tripping on his own feet.

"For fuck's sake..."

There's nothing you can do, besides follow the rest of the group as they prepare to face the challenge.


End file.
